The True Story of Jack & Gill

By Paulette Rae

Gillian thought she would never see Jackson Cooper again, yet here he is, larger than life, back to claim what he thinks is his. But Gillian has a few surprises for him, including the fact that she's not just going to fall back into his arms as though he had never left.
They were teenagers when Jackson abandoned her. Now Gillian has a successful business, children, and a life she worked hard for. She doesn't need extra complications in her life.
Can she finally douse the flame she has been carrying for him all these years?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paulette Rae
• Release date: May 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223316572

Paulette Rae

Paulette writes from her desk in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she lives with her husband, Tony. Together they have four children and an expanding array of grandchildren. When she's not writing, she works part-time, dabbles in various MLM businesses, sings in a duo, and occasionally runs karaoke with her husband.

Book preview

Jack and Gill went up the hill

To do just what they ought’a

Jack left town for sixteen years

And now he’s back to court her...

1 – Jackson’s Return

It had been sixteen years since Gillian had laid eyes on Jackson Cooper. 

There had been many a moment over the years when she imagined she saw him: in the street, in a crowd at the town fair, or driving one of those big rigs that powered down the main road bringing supplies.

She often wondered what she would say to him if he turned and fixed those grey eyes on her once more.

Yet here he was, walking down her road wearing that stupid hat his grandfather had given him twenty years ago.

She pretended not to see him as she reached up to fix the sheets on the washing line. The cotton swirled around her legs like the wedding dress she had never worn. She watched him silently from her hiding place among the different sized socks, pretending she didn’t care he was back.

He wore a dark jacket that on a timeline seemed to match his hat, making him look ten years older than Gillian knew him to be. His jeans were rumpled from travel, crinkled down over heavy black shoes. He carried a small leather suitcase, too small to indicate the length of time he intended to stay.

However, she already knew what the answer to that was. Jackson’s parents had sold their farm nearly ten years ago and moved to the city, but recently the new owners had confessed to Gillian they had received an offer for the land they couldn’t refuse.

What she couldn’t work out was why he wasn’t driving. The way he walked, his swagger one of a contented man on a Sunday stroll, seemed like he was in no hurry. If his car had broken down, he didn’t seem fazed at all.

Anyone who walked up this road had usually spent the last few hours in the pub. It was the only hotel for miles and was usually too much of a temptation for anyone to forego.

A dust cloud rounded the corner behind Angus Spencer’s 4x4, and as he pulled up alongside Jackson, Gillian smiled. Another question answered. He’d been back five minutes and had already hooked up with his childhood friend again.

She heard Jackson laugh as he climbed into the vehicle and it sent a chill up her spine. A flood of memories came back to her, like the nights she had spent behind the schoolhouse, laughing and talking with friends under a blanket of stars. Occasionally when it was just the two of them, Jackson would become somebody else. For those moments, he was just hers. Nobody else had known the wayward teen like she had.

Had Angus mentioned her to Jackson? Did Jackson realise while he had been sitting there drinking a cold draught and reminiscing about old times that she was all around him? He probably sat on one of the stools she cleaned every morning or had been shooting pool with Angus on the table she had bid for at the town auction, wiping his beer ring from the bar with towels she washed every week. Did he see her name on the Proprietor’s Certificate hanging behind the bar? Probably not, but what did she care anyway? 

Her anger boiled inside her, she was so mad at the feeling that arose in her stomach the moment she saw him. How could she feel this way for a man who had abandoned her so many years ago?

She tried to push him to the back of her mind as she went about the rest of her day. She regretted suddenly that her two youngest children, Rebecca and Robert, had gone to their father’s house for the school holidays. With them here, she would have had plenty to keep her busy. The sun cast a reflection off her watch as she lifted her wrist. It would be another few hours before her eldest, Justin, was home too.

With the housework done, she turned her mind to other things. She really should go down to the woolshed to check on Steve, her right-hand man. She could saddle up her favourite mare, Tandy. A ride would be somewhat of a distraction. If she didn’t go, she would spend the rest of the afternoon waiting to see if Jackson reappeared, or Angus would drop in for coffee when he saw her in the front garden, and then she would have to ask questions. She didn’t want to know about Jackson. It was obvious how he felt; otherwise he might have contacted her once in a while.

When they reached the woolshed, Tandy was dripping with sweat from the ride, chest heaving and nostrils flaring in the heat. 

Steve appeared and grinned as Gillian jumped nimbly from the saddle and took the mare to the water trough.

Are you checking up on us? Steve asked roguishly, his tanned upper body gleaming beneath the singlet he wore.

Andy appeared from the shadows of the woolshed. Like his older brother, he glistened with sweat and smelled like the back end of a sheep. They both wore jeans that used to be blue but were now the colours of shearing.

Gillian smiled. Do you need checking up on?

Yep, Steve jested. We’ve been sitting on wool bales all morning reading penthouse.

Gillian laughed. Well, that explains the perspiration. She removed her helmet and pushed a hand through her hair. It was damp and clung to her scalp. Maybe I need to check the sheep as they come out of the wool shed. she glanced sideways at Steve for a reaction, but it was Andy she got it from.

Hey, that’s a bit low, isn’t it? He grinned.

One day the farm Gillian owned would be theirs. They had worked the land for well over ten years, longer than her relationship with Ben had lasted. She knew one day they would have the money, and some day she would be ready to sell. She had the Homestay and the Hotel, of which both earned a good living. She didn’t need the farm. For now, she stayed until the time when Steve would offer her what he could afford. The money from the farm would be enough for Justin to go to University, if that’s what he decided to do.

Gillian glanced skyward. I needed the fresh air, that’s all. You know what you’re doing.

Steve was studying her with curiosity, obviously sensing something was up. You okay? he whispered, too low for Andy to hear.

Yeah, I’m fine. Gillian patted Steve’s hand. If she had been ten years younger, she might have accepted his subtle advances and his boots would be under her bed every night. However, she was quite content on her own with three children. She wanted a man who was an equal, not one who needed her. Unfortunately, in this district, the latter were abundant. She was waiting for Prince Charming to drive up in a Mercedes and not only sweep her off her feet but respect her for the independent woman she was.

There’s a meal at the restaurant for you both tonight. Gillian climbed back on the mare. Tandy had caught her breath and was pulling at the reins for a patch of grass that grew under the water trough.

We’ll be there. Andy grinned.

I’ll pick out two of the best steaks. Gillian smiled and fastened her safety hat back in place.

Steve smiled lopsidedly. Cut off its horns, wipe its arse and slap it on a plate.

Andy roared with laughter. The line, from a movie, was an old favourite of Steve’s.

Gillian rolled her eyes dramatically as she rode away.

She showered and changed after her ride, annoyed at herself again for taking extra care in case Jackson turned up. Part of her wanted him to know what he had missed out on all these years.

She picked out her favourite summer dress and pulled her shiny black hair back into a loose braid. Then she slipped on her comfortable sandals and walked the two kilometres to the hotel.

Jackson arrived around seven-thirty with Angus.

Double trouble, Gillian thought as she studied her childhood love from the safety of her office. There was no mistaking him with those steel grey eyes and boyish sand-coloured curls.

Gillian watched, amused as her part-timer